[olddog]

Hauss a Cobra is like a motorcycle in may ways. Similar power to weight ratio (give or take, depending). Open cock pit. An engine that plays music to your ears. I think you will find yourself at home quickly.

Normally aspirated engines and the old adage "there is no replacement for displacement" ring true, depending on a great many things. If you do not want to spend a fortune building engines to spin 8000 + rpm and then risking that fortune every time you do, this is the way to go. Build them for 6000 rpm and build with big inches and you have a good combo.

If you like spinning your engine extremely fast like most motorcycles, you may not want to dismiss the old 302, so quickly. The factory blocks are week, but if you go with an aftermarket block with a 4.125 bore and a 3.4 stroke (or a 3.25" stroke) and build it to make peak Hp at 7000 rpm you would be surprised at the power. Now this is not my cup of tea, but it might be yours. Just remember Shelby was making about 450 hp out of a cast iron 289 in the 60's with pretty much all factory castings, minus the intake. I'm sure he wore out a lot of milling tools to port the heads, but you can purchase great aluminum heads today.